What is the project about

The overall objective of the Business for Goals Platform is to contribute to the achievement of SDGs in Turkey through a strategized partnership model with the private sector, by creating an “Inclusive Business” for achievement of SDGs as a result. Business for Goals will adopt an inclusive approach reaching out private sector at all levels as a one stop shop policy and implementation point to conduct research, develop policies and coordinate and facilitate the contributions of the private sector to SDGs.

This IP will operationalize Business for Goals Platform in Turkey being the first collective action of private sector to promote SDGs and establish partnerships. The IP will launch a platform-based approach to deepen responsible engagement with the private sector and working with Government, to mobilize private sector resources for domestic investments in the Sustainable Development Goals in accordance with national development priorities.

What has been the situation

Private sector increasingly plays an important role as an engine of economic growth and job creation. It provides goods and services, generates tax revenues to finance essential social and economic infrastructure, develops new and innovative solutions that help tackle development challenges and it is a central actor in addressing climate change. The role that the private sector plays in development is also broadening from the conventional approach of supporting the economic development to more inclusive and elaborated public private partnerships. As such, the private sector has become an important strategic partner for UNDP in achieving its vision to help countries eradicate poverty and reduce inequalities and exclusion within broader sustainable development

Nevertheless, the role of private sector is not limited to financing and investment. The innovative capacities, human resources, know-how and technological inputs are potentially other contributions. Private sector is an actor in development, which drives sustainable economic growth by bringing with its opportunities in value creation. It is also the fact that, achieving sustainable development will improve the environment for doing business and building markets. Trillions of dollars in public and private funds are to be redirected towards the SDGs, creating huge opportunities for responsible companies to deliver solutions.

What is our mission

 UNDP’s Strategic Plan for 2018-2021 promotes dialogues with the private sector as a key development actor and call for deeper cooperation with private sector as emerging partners on shared development priorities. It also emphasizes the importance of substantially expanding and improving the scope, quality and outcome of the collaboration with the private sector.  It highlights the aim to broaden and deepen responsible engagement with the private sector, working with Governments, to mobilize private sector capital for domestic investments in the Sustainable Development Goals in accordance with national development priorities.

Along with the Strategic Plan, UNDP introduced a Private Sector and Foundations Strategy for the Sustainable Development Goals 2016–2020, which defines how UNDP plans to engage with – and work on – sustainable development issues with the private sector and philanthropic foundations. The goal is to enable these actors to become transformative partners in implementing all Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in order to achieve UNDP’s vision of poverty eradication and a reduction in inequalities. The strategy aims to position UNDP as a partner of choice for the private sector and foundations in SDG implementation, while maximizing the impact of the private sector and philanthropy on sustainable development.

In addition, UNDP’s upcoming new Private Sector Global Strategy proposes the adoption of the SDGs as the main framework for private sector strategies and operations at all levels: Government, Investors, Individual companies of all sizes

How are we doing this

Based on the new and platform based working of UNDP and bringing integrated solutions to complex development issues in Turkey, the Project at hand aims to operationalize Business for Goals Platform. The Project will thereby launch a platform-based approach to deepen responsible engagement with the private sector and working with Government, to mobilize private sector resources for domestic investments in the Sustainable Development Goals in accordance with national development priorities. The Platform will be inclusive in nature and open for the involvement of all formally established private sector entities, associations and their stakeholders during the course of its operations.

UNDP CO will work with prominent private sector representative bodies, namely TUSIAD (Turkish Industry and Business Association), TURKONFED (Turkish Enterprise and Business Confederation) and the Government of Turkey for the creation of an inclusive ‘Business for Goals’ Platform  which will execute research, studies and dialogues to transform the private sector’s role from the conventional approach of supporting the economic development to more inclusive and elaborated public private partnerships for the achievement of SDGs.

How will Turkey benefit

Turkey has a sophisticated business environment, which proved itself with high awareness on social and environmental responsibilities.

A series of initial but strategic initiatives, that included CSR and PPP summits and launching of reports such as Unleashing Entrepreneurship and CSR Turkey Report, have paved the way to concrete project formulations with over 50 partnerships in Turkey. UNDP Turkey has been able to persuade the business community to implement concrete development projects that are mutually beneficial for both the private sector and the local community.

For example, when Microsoft sponsored an ICT peer education project, it increased its access to qualified workers as well as boosted the employment opportunities for those who undertook the training. UNDP’s efforts were then supported by other ICT companies, namely Vodafone, Cisco, IBM and Intel, as well as the Government of Turkey, to turn the initiative into a major information society transformation programme in Turkey, which benefited over a million disadvantaged people. In a recent partnership with Turk Telekom and Habitat Association, the “Life is Easier with Internet” project is implementing an inclusive business model for creating opportunities for disadvantaged people to have easy access to information and become equal participants of country’s transformation to an information society.

In other partnerships with Peugeot, Koç Holding, Vodafone and Ayder, it was possible to break social deprivation and improve opportunities for disabled individuals to be more active and productive citizens. Business members in all around Anatolia participated in a country wide awareness campaign towards a barrier free economy in Koc Holding’s “For My Country” partnership and disabled members of the society joined social enterprise efforts at the remarkable facilities of “Dreams Academy” in Istanbul and Kas, Antalya.

Visa, Experian and Credits Bureau of Turkey are some of other organizations, which worked with UNDP for building society’s financial management capacities through financial literacy trainings to achieve more sustainable growth and a less vulnerable economy through better financial decisions, stronger wealth creation potential and less risky behavior.

UNDP’s partnerships with private sector support an inclusive economy. Inclusive business models create win-win situation for all stakeholders. The partnerships between UNDP and businesses create both social and business impact, which cultivate a healthier growing economy.

While individual partnerships proved vast positive impact created for country’s specific development needs, Turkey now is in an imminent need to have a clear strategic approach, incentives and mechanisms, which build on the existing models under the direction of the Strategic Plan and the SDGs, which set out a substantial role for the private sector and assume its ability to make contributions to the achievement of the SDGs.